A California appeals court has revived lawsuits from two men who claim that Michael Jackson sexually abused them when they were children. The court found that the lawsuits of Wade Robson and James Safechuck were wrongly dismissed by a lower court and that the two corporations owned by Jackson, MJJ Productions Inc. and MJJ Ventures Inc., had a responsibility to protect them. A new California law that temporarily expanded the scope of sexual abuse cases allowed the appeals court to reinstate the lawsuits. This is the second time the lawsuits have been brought back after dismissal, with the men gaining wider recognition for telling their stories in the HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland” in 2019.
The judge who dismissed the suits in 2021 argued that the Jackson-owned corporations couldn’t be held responsible for the abuse. However, the higher court judges disagreed, stating that a corporation facilitating child sexual abuse cannot shirk its duty to protect the victims just because it is solely owned by the perpetrator. They emphasized that having only one shareholder does not absolve the corporation of its duty, and therefore reversed the judgments entered for the corporations.
Jonathan Steinsapir, the attorney for the Jackson estate, expressed disappointment with the court’s decision and maintained that Michael is innocent, citing credible evidence and independent corroboration. On the other hand, Vince Finaldi, the attorney for Robson and Safechuck, expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, as it avoided setting a dangerous precedent and protected children throughout the state and country. The defense had argued that it doesn’t make sense for employees to be legally required to stop their boss’s behavior, but the plaintiffs’ attorneys countered that the employees had a duty to protect and warn the boys. The cases have not yet gone to trial, but evidence gathered so far supports the claim that the parents did not expect Jackson’s employees to act as monitors.
In a concurring opinion, Associate Justice John Shepard Wiley Jr. emphasized that treating Jackson’s wholly-owned instruments differently from Jackson himself would be fixating on abstractions. He argued that this is not an alter ego case but a same ego case.
Overall, the appeals court’s decision breathes new life into the lawsuits against Michael Jackson’s corporations and allows the plaintiffs to move forward with their claims.
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